1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to vending machines, and more particularly to a vending machine with a coin slot mechanism that easily drops out from the front of the machine without requiring major disassembly of the machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vending machines are known in the art. Vending machines for dispensing products that utilize a coin slot mechanism at the front of the machine are also known. These types of vending machines are typically used to dispense many different kinds of products including toys, candies, and even stickers that resemble playing or trading cards. All of these machines require insertion of coins into a coin slot mechanism or a number of mechanisms in the front of the machine prior to retrieving an object from the interior of the machine. The coin slot mechanisms typically are carried by a front panel of the machine and have a slidable section that can be pushed inward into the machine for delivering money to an interior collector of the machine.
It is known that the coin slots of the mechanisms can easily become clogged or jammed due to a number of causes. One such cause is placement of objects other than coins in the slots and then pushing the sliding section into the interior of the machine. The sliding section can become jammed or stuck in the machine or can become damaged depending upon the type of object placed in the coin slot. Coins can also be placed in the slots that are themselves damaged which can also cause damage to the coin slots or can jam the sliding section of the coin slot mechanism.
On current machines, it is difficult to repair and/or replace these coin slot mechanisms. The coin slot mechanisms are affixed to the front panel of the machine or to a portion of the machine that is not easily removable. Substantial disassembly of the vending machine must take place in order to work on or replace a coin slot mechanism.
One type of vending machine dispenses stickers or playing cards or the like that are vertically stacked in one or more tubes held within the machine. A stack weight is placed over the top of the stack of objects within the tube. The weight continues to press downward on the stack in order to keep the product dispensing at the bottom of the stack according to the design of the machine. These weights are typically not easy to remove from the stacks when a machine is being refilled or serviced. Additionally, these weights sometimes become misplaced when working on the machine or refilling the stacks with a dispensable product.
One object of the present invention is to provide a modular construction for a vending machine in order to simplify disassembly. Another object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine wherein a coin slot mechanism can be easily removed without disassembling the rest of the machine. A further object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine that includes a coin slot mechanism that can be completely replaced with only minimal disassembly of the rest of the machine. A further object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine that permits easy access into the interior of the machine to retrieve a coin collection basket with only minimal disassembly of the remainder of the machine. A still further object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine that includes a securable and removable front cover panel that utilizes a three point locking mechanism to permit easy access to the interior of the machine. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a stack weight that can be easily handled while it remains within product stack of the machine. A further object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine including a stack weight that can be removably secured and held by a portion of the machine while refilling the machine with dispensable product.
These and other object, features, and advantages of the present invention are provided by a vending machine of a relatively modular construction. In one embodiment, a vending machine of the present invention includes a segmented front panel assembly including a front cover panel that is removably secured to a portion of an opening of the machine. In one embodiment, this front cover panel section includes a three point locking mechanism for securing the front cover panel to a lower front opening of the machine.
In one embodiment, a coin slot assembly includes at least one coin slot mechanism. The coin slot mechanism is secured to a major bracket panel section by one of more mounting brackets attached to a back side of the major bracket. Each of these brackets defines a gap between a portion of the mounting bracket and the back side of the major bracket. An intermediary bracket is also received in the front opening of the machine. The intermediary bracket in one embodiment is carried by the vending machine in this front opening. The intermediary bracket includes one or more blades that extend generally parallel to the front of the machine. A portion of each blade is received in a corresponding one of the gaps defined by the mounting brackets. When installed, the coin slot assembly is placed within a portion of a front opening of the vending machine and then moved toward the intermediary bracket so that the blades are each received within a corresponding gap. The coin slot assembly and the intermediary bracket are then forced together and secured to one another in this manner. The front cover panel then covers the remaining portion of the opening of the vending machine and can be secured in place by manipulating the three point locking mechanism.
To remove the coin slot assembly or to provide access to a coin collecting basket within the interior of the vending machine, the front cover panel is removed by manipulating the three point locking mechanism and then removing the front cover panel from the vending machine. The coin collecting basket can be removed through the opening provided by removal of the front cover panel. In addition, the coin slot assembly can be removed by simply xe2x80x9cdropping outxe2x80x9d or separating the coin slot assembly from the intermediary bracket which is carried by the vending machine. This is done by moving the major bracket of the coin slot assembly away from the intermediary bracket so that the blades can be removed from their corresponding gaps between the mounting brackets and major bracket. The coin slot mechanism and the attached major bracket can then be removed from the vending machine.
In one embodiment, the vending machine includes at least a pair of the coin slot mechanisms wherein each of the mechanisms is secured to the major bracket by separate mounting brackets. The mounting brackets each have distal ends with flanges that are spaced from the major bracket back side forming one of the gaps on each mounting bracket distal end. Each of the brackets has one flange that faces a flange on the other bracket defining a slot between the two mounting brackets. A central blade section extending from the intermediary bracket includes side edges that are captured by these opposed flanges of the mounting brackets. The intermediary bracket also includes a pair of flanking blade sections having edges that are received in the gaps formed between the outer, opposite flanges of the mounting brackets and the back side of the major bracket.
In one embodiment, a cotter pin is removably received through openings in a pair of corresponding upturned tabs, one carried on the major bracket and one carried on the intermediary bracket. The cotter pin secures the coin slot assembly in place when assembled to the intermediary bracket.
In one embodiment, the front cover panel includes a flange on an edge that is received on a corresponding and mating lip carried by a portion of the vending machine adjacent the front opening. The front cover panel is installed by first placing the flange over the lip and then pivoting the front cover panel about the edge carrying the flange until the panel is flush with the front of the vending machine. The three point locking mechanism is then manipulated so that a protruding lug or latch of each point of the locking mechanism is received behind or within a corresponding striker on the machine in order to secure the front cover panel to the vending machine.
In another embodiment of the invention, the vending machine includes at least one vertically orientated elongate tube or stack for receiving a plurality of vertically stacked dispensable products therein. A stack weight is removably received within the stack for placement on top of the stacked products. The stack weight includes a top surface with an upwardly projecting finger having a right angle flange extending from the top edge of the finger. In order to remove the stack weight from the stack, a user simply grabs the finger and flange and lifts the stack weight from the stack. The finger and flange are orientated in such a manner that the stack weight can be hung on an edge of the machine or an edge of the stack during repair of the machine or refilling of the stack with a dispensable product.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon a review of the detailed description herein and the accompanying drawing figures. Specific embodiments of the present invention are shown and described herein although the invention is not to be limited to such embodiments. The disclosed and illustrated embodiments are provided for illustration of the invention and not in any way to limit the scope of the invention.